


Who The Hell Are You?

by astudyinfic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Marching Band, But no actual marching takes place, Fluff, M/M, college party, loosely based on author's college band, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 10:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15727728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: At the annual "Who the Hell Are You?" party at the beginning of band camp, Magnus Bane is ready to make friends and influence people.He gets far more than that when he meets a sullen freshman trumpet player in need of a few explanations and a friendly smile.





	Who The Hell Are You?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alistoney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistoney/gifts).



> For my beloved [alistoney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistoney) as she goes through band camp!

For most people, marching outside in the searing heat of the mid-August sun would be a punishment, not a pleasure.  

Magnus Bane was not most people.  

He loved marching band.  He loved the band camp at the beginning of the year.  He loved the crowd cheering after a good performance and the satisfaction of knowing you put on a good show.  He loved everything about it. There was a camaraderie in the band that you didn’t find in other groups, due to the hours, the blood, sweat, and tears that were put into every show.  (Sometimes literally depending on the difficulty.)

But more than anything, he loved the party that happened at the beginning of camp week. 

It was his third year and he knew what to expect this time.  His first year, when he was a wide-eyed freshman, the party was exciting and new and he’d been completely overwhelmed, though he enjoyed it and talked about it for weeks.  His second year, he drank far too much and found himself asleep, cradling his mellophone to his chest, curled up on the couch at the apartment that had the misfortune of hosting the party. 

Everyone on campus knew about this party.  It was legendary and people who weren’t in the band showed up as well.  The apartment where it was held was almost always trashed by the end of the night, along with everyone who attended.  The non-band kids were usually confused but after a few drinks, no one really seemed to care about anything but having a good time.

But now, he was in his third year.  Magnus knew how to drink in moderation (mostly, he still had a few incidents but who didn’t?) and he knew everyone at the party except the freshman.  So his plan was to make a general nuisance of himself and introduce himself to every last freshman in the band. There were nearly eighty of them but he had all night.  

Besides, he’d broken up with Camille over the summer (for the last time, no more on-again-off-again for them he vowed) and he was ready to get back out there.  What better way to meet people than at a party designed to do just that? Not that he expected to find a boyfriend or girlfriend that night. Luck was never on his side when it came to romance and while he could probably find a one-night stand, he was hoping for something deeper.  So, he would scope out who was new, who changed over the summer, and who he might be interested in asking out after the first game. 

Because he needed to get through that show first.  Sure, there was also the first day of school and everything else but really, that first game was the real milestone for any band member (and football fan).  Having been named section leader the previous spring, Magnus intended to take his job seriously as he had higher aspirations for the next year. If he wanted to be drum major when he was a senior, he would need to show more dedication than he had before. Which meant focusing on making his section the best they could be and not trying to get into the pants of the first pretty person he came across. 

The night of the party, Magnus returned to his apartment to drop off his horn (no need for a repeat of the year prior) and get ready.  Marching band camp is hot, sweaty work and he rarely wore more than the bare minimum of makeup for fear of sweating it all off and looking like a disaster. After a quick shower and a not so quick hair and makeup session that had Raphael yelling at him to hurry up already, Magnus was ready to go, dressed to the nines and ready to charm anyone he came across.  

Of course, charm wasn’t really the name of the game tonight.  

If it was, they wouldn’t refer to it as the “Who the Hell Are You?” party.

Also, a bunch of drunk young adults really wouldn’t know charm if it bit them in the ass, but Magnus wasn’t going to let that stop him from trying.

Thanks to Mangus’s primping, they were still fashionably late when they arrived and the party was already in full swing.  A few people yelled out their names as they stepped inside and Magnus waved to some of his friends while tugging Raphael into the overheated and smelly apartment.

“I blame you,” Raphael grumbled under his breath, lip curling in distaste as a lukewarm cup of beer was pressed into his hand.  “I don’t understand why it takes you so long to do your hair. It’s just hair. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”

“Says the man who spends just as much time as I do on his own.”  Magnus took the beer from Raphael’s hand and downed it quickly. It was the only way to get past the foul taste.  “Now, come on. We are section leaders this year and we need to make a good impression. Stop glaring at everyone.  It’s unbecoming.”

Raphael rolled his eyes but followed Magnus farther into the party.  While they might be section leaders, their sections were two of the smallest in the band and as such, they had a lot of introductions to make if they wanted to meet all the freshman.  

Not that either of them wanted to be members of one of those big sections.  Sure, they spent most of their days explaining what a mellophone or a euphonium was, but at least they weren’t on the drum line.  Or tubas. Or trumpets. No one good ever came out of those sections. It was a rule that Magnus lived by and had guided him well through high school and now college.  

But he would still go make the rounds, introduce himself and let them get to know him personally before their section leaders told them all the awful stories they liked to pass on about him.  

Only about half of them were true. 

Approaching a group of freshman, most likely drummers, if Magnus was to guess, he extended his hand to the first one and said with a grin, “Magnus Bane.  Who the hell are you?”

You could judge a lot about a person’s character by how they responded to that question.  Some laughed and introduced themselves quickly. Those ones were either really drunk, or good people to become friends with because they understood the purpose of the party and went along with all the shenanigans.  These were the ones most likely to make it the full four years in the band and everyone wanted more members like that. You had to have a good sense of humor to put up with everything that went along with being in the band.  It wasn’t an easy activity and demanded so much time and effort from all the members. If you could laugh about it, then you were more likely to continue with it.

Sometimes, when you asked “who the hell are you” you encountered the ones who looked like they’d seen a ghost.  Generally, that group fell into two categories. The first being super shy and unused to attention of any kind. Magnus could understand that, even if it wasn’t him in the slightest.  The others were the sheltered ones from tiny towns who had no experience with the world outside their own community. Magnus tried to take note of them so he could help introduce them to the wonderful wide world outside of Hicksville, USA.  

As he and Raphael made their way through the crowd, Magnus silently divided people up into their respective groups.  Sometimes he could guess how they would react before it happened but every once in a while, someone surprised him. 

And then, there was the enigmatic tall man in the corner, whose hazel eyes seemed to take in everything but he said nothing to anyone.  He simply stood there, holding a drink Magnus was certain he hadn’t even taken a sip from, and glaring out at the world. 

“Shy,” Magnus muttered to Raphael who looked appraisingly at him before nodded.  “But gorgeous, so maybe we should go introduce ourselves. It’s only polite after all.”  Raphael knew him better than that but simply rolled his eyes and followed Magnus over to the man who was even more gorgeous up close.  

Like every other time, Magnus extended his hand and grinned.  “I’m Magnus Bane. Who the hell are you?”

“Oh fuck off,” the grumpy man growled and crossed his arms tighter across his chest.  And what a chest it was... Magnus shook his head briefly and stared at him, eyebrow raised in question.  That reaction had never happened before and he wasn’t sure how to interpret it. “I don’t know why people keep asking me that.  I’ve had a dozen people say the exact same thing to me. I’m in the band. I’m allowed to be here. I don’t know why everyone doesn’t just ask politely.”

He tried not to laugh at the man’s anger, he really did, but Magnus knew a few chuckles snuck out.  “Darling, did your section leader not tell you about this party?” It was the first thing you told your section about after the director walked away at the end of the first day.  Technically the school couldn’t condone it, but they were very good at looking the other way.

The man shrugged.  “Yeah, probably. I don’t know.  I heard party and zoned out. This really isn’t my thing.”

“Then why are you here?” Magnus couldn’t help but ask that particular question.  Why come to a party if you had no interest in being there? Sure it was a tradition but they didn’t force people to come.  Underage drinking was technically illegal and they were all mindful of the fact that some people felt strongly about not breaking that particular law.

Sighing, the guy in front of him ran a hand through his hair.  “I wasn’t going to. I was going to go back to my room, plan the best route to get to all my classes next week and then maybe read until I went to bed.  But then my siblings heard there was a great party thrown by the band and since I’m in it, they insisted that I come along so they have a reason to be here.  Now my sister is outside making out with some red-haired flute player who made a ‘one time at band camp’ joke, while my brother and a clarinet player disappeared about twenty minutes ago and I really don’t want to go look for them.”  He looked down at the red plastic cup in his hand and gave a soft sigh as if the cup and the contents personally offended him. 

Judging by everything else he’d said so far, Magnus thought it probably wasn’t far from the truth.

“So, no one told you about this party?  About the purpose of it? What section are you in?” Raphael asked.  Even the euphonium section leader who hated being social and parties and everything they entailed told his section about it and showed up to at least make an appearance.

The man shrugged.  “Trumpet.”

“Figures,” Raphael grumbled.  “Smaller the mouthpiece, bigger the asshole.”

Magnus started to laugh before remembering that Raphael’s quip applied to him as much as the man in front of him. “Hey!  That’s enough out of you! You’re just jealous because everyone knows what our instruments are but no one has ever heard of yours.”  Because who outside of the band knew what a euphonium was?

“They’ve heard of a French horn. They haven’t heard of a mellophone and you know it.”  Magnus frowned. He may have started playing the French horn because it was pretty but then he started marching and he fell in love with the mellophone. 

He was about to say something when the man started to giggle. Both Magnus and Raphael stared at him as he threw his head back and laughed loudly. It did wonders for him. Though Magnus knew how beautiful he was from the moment he laid eyes on him, when he laughed the man looked absolutely breathtaking. 

Magnus continued to stare, hardly noticing when Raphael rolling his eyes at them both.  Though to be fair, it was such a common occurrence, Magnus tended to ignore it ninety-nine percent of the time. He was mesmerized and when the man stopped laughing, Magnus knew he still looked dazed.  Blinking, he tried to bring his brain back online but all he could think was  _ pretty _ .

Raphael nudged him and Magnus finally remembered what he’d been about to say.  “What your idiot section leader should have made clear is that this is the ‘Who the hell are you’ party and that is how you are supposed to greet everyone you have never met before.  So, those people were just trying to get to know you. They weren’t being rude.”

The man’s face blushed a fierce red to the point Magnus worried he might pass out from the sudden shift in blood upward.  “So, all those people I glared at or ignored...? Oh, that probably wasn’t the best first impression to make.” Magnus had to admit he was right and those people would be annoyed with him for weeks to come.  This party was a time-honored tradition and no one would appreciate him treating it like an insult.

"No, it really wasn't, darling.  But I'm sure the people who are upset aren't ones you need to concern yourself with anyway."  Most likely they were the people Magnus himself hated, mostly for their poor attitudes towards anyone they deemed not worth their time.  "But you haven't insulted me, or Raphael here." 

"Speak for yourself, Bane," Raphael grumbled and if Magnus didn't know him as well as he did, he might have actually believed that Raphael was upset.  But then the other section leader smirked at them both and wandered off to find his own section, leaving the two of them alone.

The trumpet player stared at Magnus for a moment and while Magnus would normally try to fill the space with mindless chatter, he found that he didn't mind the silence so much with him.  Finally, the man seemed to reach a decision to some sort of debate going on inside his head. He smiled, lighting up Magnus's world once more and extended his hand. "I'm Alec. Who the hell are you?"

"Magnus Bane," Magnus smiled in return, offering his hand to Alec.  "Mellophone section leader and hopefully your date to the Trombone Sectional at the end of the week?"  He would kick himself if he didn't try. Alec was funny and beautiful, two points in his favor. Sure, Magnus may have resolved not to date anyone until after the first show but resolutions were made to be broken.

"Neither of us play trombone," Alec pointed out, looking adorably baffled.  

Magnus grinned and turned so he could stand next to Alec.  He laced their fingers together. Alec squeezed his hand lightly and Magnus breathed out a sigh of relief that he hadn't crossed some line.  "Very few people who go to Trombone Sectional play trombone. Basically, it's another excuse to drink and sing terrible songs making fun of the other sections as well as all the football teams we'll be playing over the season.  There's pizza and beer and it's generally a good time. And I would love for you to come with me."

Alec seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding.  "That sounds like a good idea. I need to make up some goodwill with the band, though, after tonight.  You'll explain everything?"

"Darling, I promise, I won't leave your side."

Alec smiled gratefully and while Magnus knew his question had been about the party at the end of the week, he still stayed right there beside him, offering what comfort he could and introducing Alec to the people he thought were the most important.

“You said your brother and sister dragged you here because they aren’t in the band and they thought having you here would help?” Magnus asked when he returned with another beer for himself and some soda for Alec.  “And then they ditched you almost immediately?” Didn’t seem like good friends or siblings but Magnus didn’t say that out loud. There were some things you didn’t say when you first met someone. Insulting their family was at the top of that list. 

“Yeah, well, they think they’re helping me,” Alec said softly, barely audible over the general din of the party.  “They think if they leave me alone I’ll find some cute band member who will take pity on me and keep me company.” He smiled over at Magnus, the blush back on his cheeks and Magnus was hopelessly endeared.  

He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.  “And how is that working for you?” 

To say he was shocked when Alec just said “Meh” to Magnus’s question would be an understatement.  But Alec smiled and squeezed his hand. “I mean, I guess Raphael could be considered cute but I think you are more beautiful than cute, don’t you think?”  

Magnus’s smile grew even wider and he stepped closer.  “You think I’m beautiful?”

Alec just nodded and moved closer still.  “Yeah. And I kind of hope you aren’t just keeping me company out of pity.” 

And what was Magnus supposed to do but close the remaining distance between him and kiss him soundly?  Simply for proof that it wasn’t out of pity, of course. 

They were both dazed when they pulled apart, eyes meeting for a moment before Alec crashed their lips back together, drink forgotten as he dropped it to the floor and pushed Magnus against the wall to deepen the kiss further.  Magnus responded in kind, hooking a leg over Alec’s hip to keep him close and running a hand through the trumpet player’s hair. It wasn’t until half the room started to cheer for them that Magnus even remembered where they were.  

“Can I walk you back to your dorm?” he asked, breathless and grinning.  

Alec nodded then paused. “My siblings...”

“Will be just fine.  This band watches out for each other.  No one will let anything bad happen to them.”  

That seemed to reassure Alec who smiled and tugged Magnus out the door.  As the cool night air hit them, they both relaxed and Magnus led him down the meandering path that led to student housing on campus.  They talked about anything and nothing and Magnus couldn’t wait to find out even more about him. When they reached Alec’s dorm, they stopped and stared at one another for a moment.  Alec smiled at him and pulled him closer. “I think I’ve figured out who the hell you are,” he said with a grin.

Magnus smiled back at him.  “And who is that?”

“My boyfriend?”  he asked before closing the distance, giving Magnus the softest, most wonderful goodnight kiss he’d ever had. 

Which was how Magnus ended up dating a trumpet player and decided that maybe some good things do come out of the trumpet section after all.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, if any of these references sound familiar to you, come talk to me because we probably went to the same university. Otherwise, just know that these are all real things at my school and they are pretty much the highlights of the year. 
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr at [brooklynxmagic](http://brooklynxmagic.tumblr.com) or [astudyinfic](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com). Or twitter at [astudyinfic](http://twitter.com/astudyinfic).


End file.
